Thursday, 27 October 2016

I wanted my Farseer to be levitating with both feet off the ground. My plan was to take the Farseer’s torso and fix it to the legs from the Harlequin Solitaire to create the dynamic pose I desired.

The first stage was to do a rough test fit to see is the idea was even possible. For this I held the parts together with Blutack. From my test fitting it seemed clear that the concept would work and the parts were, with some serious trimming, compatible.

I removed the mould lines with a combination of scraping and sanding. It’s a fiddly job, but it’s essential to take the time and effort to get it done right. The discovery of a missed mould line once you’ve started painting will result in a world of pain!

With the parts cleaned up, it was then time to trim them to fit together. In this case that involved carving away a quantity of plastic from the inside of the Farseer’s outer robe and the Solitaire’s backside. It’s best to go slowly and carefully with this sort of work. Gradually shave away the plastic a little at a time while making frequent ‘test’ fittings. You want to avoid removing too much plastic. Once I was happy with the way the parts fitted together, I sanded the carved surfaces to a smooth finish. This was especially important on the inside of the long robe, as this previously concealed area will now be visible.

The parts were glued together using Humbrol’s plastic glue. I allowed plenty of time for the joins to set after I attached each part. Once all the parts were together, I let the glue fully harden overnight. This is an important process as you want a strong bond between the various parts. They will need to hold up during the next stage, which is gap filling and more sanding.

In the case of this conversion there weren’t too many gaps to deal with. However the waistline, where the parts from the two minis join, needed some attention.

I always take my time on the preparation of a mini. I find it tedious because I want to get on with the painting. But good prep work will enhance the finished mini just as bad prep will spoil it.

In order to achieve a levitating effect I needed to find a way of supporting the mini above the base. As GW have developed their plastic minis they have become increasingly bold with the poses and many of then, like the Solitaire, have a leaping aspect with a cunningly contrived point of attachment that leaves the feet free from the base. I needed to achieve something similar.

I had already given some thought to this when I was working on my Dark Eldar diorama and one of the options I’d considered provided a solution for my Farseer. I decided to create a long trailing sash that would act as a support for the mini. To do this I needed a material that was strong enough to support the mini while thin enough to be convincing as a sash. Brass sheet provided the solution with the added advantage that I was able to cut it with scissors and bend it to shape.

Monday, 24 October 2016

So, here I am three weeks into my new life and I’ve been conspicuous by my absence.

I’ve actually been very busy getting a feel for how I can spend my days and, most importantly, pace my painting. I’d planned out my painting projects for the next few months but, of course, things change and I’ve decided to adapt my plans to new circumstances.

I need to go to Nottingham to pick up my minis from Warhammer World and so I thought I might as well go there when an event is on. With ‘Golden Demon: Enemies of the Imperium’ set for November, it was a bit of a ‘no-brainer’ as to when I should plan my trip. Of course there was no way I could enter the competition as I’d nothing ready and not enough time to paint anything … but then again.

I began mulling over the prospect and possibilities of ‘having a go’ at getting a mini ready for November 6!

I saw it thus:

I know I can turn a single mini around in four weeks. At that point I had seven weeks before the competition. For five of those weeks I would be ‘retired’ from work.

A short-term, focussed project would be a great way of establishing a regular and productive painting routine as I embarked on my adventure as a full time hobbyist.

I‘ve had the idea and parts for an Eldar Farseer conversion for some time and it fits the ‘Enemies of the Imperium’ theme.

I’m going to the event anyway so I might as well have a go at painting an entry.

I had planned to see if I could do the Farseer for the ‘Classic’ Demon in May. If I can’t get him ready in time for November I can still take him along in May as originally intended.

So the Megaboss is on the back burner (again) and project Farseer is go!

At this point I’m well into the project and it’s going well although I find that my painting days go by very quickly. It’s true that time really does fly when your having fun!

I’ve been recording my progress on the Farseer and will be posting in more detail later. For the moment I’m thoroughly immersed in my hobby and enjoying every moment of it.

Who is Sproket?

I’m a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, now retired, who has become a full time hobbyist. With the exception of a few years where I dropped out of the hobby I’ve been painting minis since I was in my teens. Over the years I've won a few trophies for my painting and four Slayer Swords but my quest to grow and develop as a painter continues - there is always something new to learn!